Rotary engine

ABSTRACT

In a rotary internal combustion engine the rotor has two circular webs of sinuous configuration that define, at each side thereof, an inner and an outer ring of power chambers. Gaseous fuel-air mixture is delivered to and compressed within the chambers of the inner ring and is then transferred therefrom to complementary chambers in the outer ring where combustion takes place and drive power is applied to the rotor.

PATENTEU m 20 1915 SHEET 2 BF 8 PATENTEU MIN 2 0 I973 sum u or a PATENTEUNUV 20 1975 SHEET 5 BF 8 PAIENTEUNUV 20 um I 3L7T3Q022 SHEET 6 or 8 PATENTEnuuvzolsn 3778 022 SHEET 80F 8 ROTARY ENGINE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The advantages of rotary internal combustion engines over the more common reciprocating piston type are well-known and understood in the art. Important advantages of the presently described engine over the others of similar type reside in an improved design and construction, whereby smoother, substantially vibration-free operation, improved operating efficiency and reduced exhaust pollutants, are achieved in a rotary engine of exceedingly low ratio of weight to horse-power.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The engine of the present invention realizes the foregoing advantages by a unique, relatively simple design of rotor and stator. The rotor is chiefly characterized by a pair of annular, concentric webs of sinuous configuration which, in conjunction with other wall parts of the rotor and stator define a circular chain of chambers on each side of the inner and outer sinuous webs, and transfer passages with valve means operable in timed relation with engine rotation effect the transfer of compressed fuel gas, at appropriate intervals, from inner chambers to outer chambers. Combustion takes place in the outer chambers and exhaust gases are discharged therefrom to complete the operating cycle. Partition plates slide into and out of the chambers in response to rotor movement and provide relatively fixed reaction surfaces for gas pressures generated in the rotating chambers during the various phases of the power cycle.

The invention hereof, in general, resides in the provision of inner and outer rings of power chambers at each side of the rotor whereby lateral, or axially directed forces acting on the rotor tend to balance out each other, and whereby a multiplicity of power pulses are produced during each engine revolution.

The invention also resides in the provisions of sets of rings of chambers that induct and compress the fuel gas, which chambers are separate from, but individually linked to chambers of other sets of rings wherein combustion takes place. By having chambers for the intake-compression phase of the operating cycle separate and distinct from the chambers for the combustion and exhaust phases, the intake-compression chambers may be appropriately dimensioned relative to the combustion-exhaust chambers so as to obtain optimum combustion efiiciency, with minimal pollutants in the exhaust stream.

The invention further resides in the means for transferring, and timing the transfer of fuel mixture from the compression chamber to a companion combustion chamber, and for accelerating the fuel gas during the transfer process to effect a super-charging of the combustion chamber.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be pointed out as the description proceeds.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG I is a perspective view of the engine with portions of the stator broken away, and with certain auxiliary engine parts removed;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the engine;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the engine;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view taken at line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a transverse sectional view taken at line 5-5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a transverse sectional view taken at line 66 of FIG. 3; I

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view taken at line 77 of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 8 to 13 inclusive are schematic representations of the power chambers of the engine during successive stages of the operating cycle; and

FIG. 14 is an exploded trimetric view showing the principal component parts of the engine.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The housing or stator of the engine comprises a hollow, ring-shaped body 1 (FIGS. 1 and 7) made up of complementary half-sections which are secuted together with an intervening peripheral sealing gasket 2, by means of tie-bolts 3. The body 1 has opposing side walls 4, a circumferential outer wall 5, and inner circumferential wall portions 6, (FIG. 7) which are spaced apart, forming an annular opening to accommodate the hub portion 7 of the engine rotor 8, illustrated in FIG. 14. The designated wall portions of the body part 1 define therein a toroidal space or cavity which is generally rectangular in cross section. As will appear in FIG. 7,

thickened intermediate portions of the side walls 4 are provided with internal annular channels 9 which receive the end portions of a cylinder 21, the latter being an integral part of the rotor 8, to be subsequently described in detail.

The engine housing also includes hollow, radial, vane-like parts 10 (FIG. 1) that extend laterally from the central body 1 and encase slidable partition plates 11 and 12 (FIG. 4). The casing parts 10 have end closure plates 13 bolted thereto, whichclosure plates are suitably provided with means, such as bosses 14, for positioning compression springs 15 that apply inwardly directed forces on the partition plates 11 and 12 to maintain the inner ends thereof in sealing contact with the side surfaces of the web portions 22 and 23 of the rotor 8. The partition plates 11 are provided with suitable means, such as the springs and ball plunger assemblies 11a (FIG. 4) that aid the springs 15 in retaining plates 11 in sealing contact with portions 21 and 23 of i the rotor. Similarly, slide plates 12 have spring means for holding them in surface sealing contact with rotor portions 20, 21 and 22, such as the seal strips 12a and compression springs 12b. Web portions 16 of housing portions 10 extend between partition plates 11 and 12 from the end plates 13 to the rotor cylinder 21.

Turning now to a description of the rotor, illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 14 of the drawings, this member comprises the concentric inner and outer tubular cylinders 20 and 21 respectively, an annular web 22 interconnecting these cylinders, and the annular web 23 that projects radially from the outer surface of the outer cylinder 21. As appears in FIG. 14 the webs 22 and 23 are of sinuous or undulent configuration. The cavities defined on opposite sides of the webs by the undulations form the power chambers of the engine. The sinuous webs 22 and 23 desirably have their respective crest circumferentially displaced, one with respect to the other and preferably such that the crest of one web lies opposite the trough of the other web. Otherwise expressed, the sinuous webs 22 and 23 are degrees out of phase. Sealing means for the said chambers are desirably provided, such as the strip 23a at the outer peripheral edge of web 23, and the radial strips 22a and 23b on the side surfaces, at the crests of the undulations of both webs. The rotor hub 7 and the hub flanges 7a (FIG. 4) which are secured thereto by hub bolts 7b are fixedly held to the shaft 17 by a suitable key 70 (FIG. 4). Shaft 17 is journaled in bearing assemblies 16 in the circular bearing brackets 16a which are fixedly secured to and within the outer end portions of the housing parts 10.

Referring again to FIG. 7 it will be observed that the annular cavity in the stator body 1 is divided transversely by the outer cylinder 21 into inner and outer concentric annular spaces. These annular spaces are subdivided by the sinuous webs 22 and 23 to form rings or bands of individual chambers, each chamber being generally segmental in shape. It will be understood that there are four rings of such chambers, viz., an outer ring of chambers on each side of the outer web 23, and an inner ring of chambers on each side of the inner web 22. As will appear, the inner said chambers perform the intake and compression phases of the operating cycle.

The outer rings of such chambers, which are those on each side of the outer sinuous web 23, perform the combustion and exhaust phases of the operating cycle. Intake ports 30 (FIGS. 1, and 7) in the housing wall 4 communicate with the inner chambers. In the present example there are twelve intake ports, six on each side. Each intake port is located adjacent the down-course side of each partition plate 12. By down-course side is meant the side facing in the direction of rotor rotation.

Transfer passages 31 (FIGS. 6 and 7) are provided in the housing side walls 4 for conducting compressed fuel-air mixture from each inner chamber to a related outer chamber. Each such transfer passage is made up of three sections. Sections 310 lead from the inner chambers, at points located adjacent to the up-course sides of the slide partitions 12, to openings in the channel 9 containing the rim portion of cylinder 21. Sections 31b are sloping passages (FIG. 6) formed in the rim portion of cylinder 21. This rim portion functions in the manner of a rotary valve, the passages 31b of which intermittently interconnect sections 31a and 310. Sections 31c lead into the outer chambers adjacent the down-course side of the outer slide partitions l l.

The compressed fuel-air mixture is ignited by spark plugs 32 that extend through stator walls 4 and have their firing points located in cavities adjacent the outlet ports of transfer passage sections 31c.

Exhaust passages 33 in side walls 4 lead from ports adjacent the up-course sides of the outer slide partitions, to suitable external exhaust manifolds.

Certain ancillary engine components, such as the fuel system, intake and exhaust manifolds, the ignition system, the cooling system and the lubrication system are not germane to the present invention, and, for the purposes of clarity, have been omitted from the present description.

To summarize the engine operation, air-fuel mixture at atmospheric pressure is drawn into the inner chambers through intake ports 30 by the forward movement of the sinuous inner web 22 of the rotor. When the crest portions of web 22 pass through the next pair of partitions 12 and beyond the inlet ports on the downcourse sides thereof the chambers become fully charged. Considering one such charged chamber, A, FIG. 9, movement thereof toward the next succeeding inner slide partition causes the fuel mixture to become compressed. Optimum compression occurs as the crest nears the succeeding partition, FIG. 10. At such time the transfer passage 31 opens by the movement of its section 31b into communication with sections 31a and 31c, (FIGS. 9 and 10), whereupon the compressed mixture is impelled into the related outer chamber B which is then emerging at the down-course side of an outer partition 11. The movement of the fuel mixture through the transfer passage is accelerated by centrifugal and tangential forces produced by rotation, andthe forward and outward curviture (FIG. 6) of passage section 30b.

With continued movement of rotor the transfer passage closes, whereupon spark plug 32 ignites the supercharged mixture, FIG. II, and the pressure generated thereby isapplied as a driving force F to the outer web of the rotor (FIG. 12). With continued rotation the pressurized chamber is brought into communication with the exhaust passage 33, through which the combustion products are expelled as the following crest C approaches the next outer partition 11, as appears in FIG. 13. The chamber is thusly prepared to receive another charge of compressed gas mixture from its complementary inner chamber.

This completes one operating cycle of one pair of complementary chambers. The cycle is repeated each time that the inner chamber of the pair passes a slide partition 12 and its companion outer chamber passes the next succeeding slide partition 11.

In the present example of an engine having ten intake-compression chambers (five on each side of the inner sinuous web) and 10 combustion-exhaust chambers (five on each side of the outer sinuous web), each operating cycle produces one power pulse and requires approximately four-fifths of a revolution. In the present example wherein the engine has six partitioning zones,

power pulses will be produced during each revolution, thirty at each side of the rotor. It will be understood that the invention hereof may be embodied in engines having a different number of power chambersand a different number of slide partitions than those of the engine herein shown and described.

Smooth, substantially vibration-free operation of the engine of the present invention is achieved by described constructional features, including the mutual equilibration of lateral forces acting on opposite side surfaces of the rotor, and the multiplicity of power strokes during each rotor revolution.

I claim as my invention:

.1. In a rotary internal combustion engine:

a. a housing,

b. a rotor having inner and outer concentric annular webs of sinuous configuration,

c. said webs having undulating side surfaces that defineinner and outer rings of chambers within the housing, I

d. partition members slidable in the housing and having end surfaces in wiping engagement with said undulating surfaces of the rotor webs,

' c. said housing having a plurality of fuel inlet passages communicating respectively with the inner chambers,

f. a plurality of exhaust passages communicating respectively with the outer chambers,

g. transfer passages in said housing arranged to interconnect pairs of related inner and outer chambers,

h. valve means in said transfer passages operatively connected to the rotor, and

i. means for igniting the compressed fuel gas in the outer chambers.

2. A rotary engine as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

j. inner and outer rings of chambers are defined at both sides of the sinuous inner and outer webs of the rotor.

3. The rotary engine described in claim 1, wherein:

j. said valve means include annular flanges on the rotor disposed for rotation in annular grooves formed in the housing, said flanges intersecting said transfer passages and having spaced openings arranged for periodic registration with said transfer passages whereby alternately to open and close 5. The rotary engine described in claim 4, wherein:

I. the fuel intake ports communicating with the inner chambers are located adjacent the down-course sides of the partition members for those chambers, and

m. the exhaust ports communicating with the outer chambers are located adjacent the up-course sides of the partition members for the outer chambers. 

1. In a rotary internal combustion engine: a. a housing, b. a rotor having inner and outer concentric annular webs of sinuous configuration, c. said webs having undulating side surfaces that define inner and outer rings of chambers within the housing, d. partition members slidable in the housing and having end surfaces in wiping engagement with said undulating surfaces of the rotor webs, e. said housing having a plurality of fuel inlet passages communicating respectively with the inner chambers, f. a plurality of exhaust passages communicating respectively with the outer chambers, g. transfer passages in said housing arranged to interconnect pairs of related inner and outer chambers, h. valve means in said transfer passages operatively connected to the rotor, and i. means for igniting the compressed fuel gas in the outer chambers.
 2. A rotary engine as set forth in claim 1, wherein: j. inner and outer rings of chambers are defined at both sides of the sinuous inner and outer webs of the rotor.
 3. The rotary engine described in claim 1, wherein: j. said valve means include annular flanges on the rotor disposed for rotation in annular grooves formed in the housing, said flanges intersecting said transfer passages and having spaced openings arranged for periodic registration with said transfer passages whereby alternately to open and close said passages in coordination with rotor rotation.
 4. The rotary engine described in claim 3, wherein: k. said transfer passages have inlet ports located adjacent to the up-course sides of the partition members for the inner chambers, and outlet ports located adjacent to the down-course sides of the partition members for the outer chambers.
 5. The rotary engine described in claim 4, wherein: l. the fuel intake ports communicating with the inner chambers are located adjacent the down-course sides of the partition members for those chambers, and m. the exhaust ports communicating with the outer chambers are located adjacent the up-course sides of the partition members for the outer chambers. 